More violence hits London

London witnessed a second night of violence that saw shops looted and officers attacked in a disorder that has left nine police injured. The violence has been described as the worst in the British capital for years.

Police Commander Christine Jones said there had been "sporadic disorder" in a number of boroughs through Sunday night, with over 100 people detained. Reuters reports that the figure adds to the 61 arrested on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

The first night of rioting was triggered following a vigil for a 29-year-old man the police shot dead as they tried to arrest him in Tottenham Thursday, an incident Britain's police watchdog is said to be investigating.

A peaceful protest against the fatal shooting had snowballed into the current chaos which has left British authorities calling for calm.

More looting

The police kept several shops in central and south London area cordoned off Monday morning after they were looted the night before. Police said there was more looting on the second night of the rioting after around 50 youths reportedly damaged shops in Oxford Street, a major shopping district in central London.

While Politicians and police blame the first night of violence on criminal thugs, residents attribute it to local tensions and anger over hardship.

According to London's Deputy Mayor Kit Malthouse, a relatively small number of criminals were spearheading the violence.

He said they were motivated by greed and not worries about the conduct of the police or wider social problems caused by Britain's slow economic recovery.

"This is quite a small group of people within our community in London who ... are frankly looking for stuff to nick (steal). They are picking particular kinds of stores, whether it's because they want a new set of trainers or whatever," Reuters quoted him as telling Sky News.

A Tottenham resident however thinks differently.

"Tottenham is a deprived area. Unemployment is very, very high ... they are frustrated," Uzodinma Wigwe, 49, who recently lost his job as cleaner, told Reuters.

Tottenham is said to include areas with the highest unemployment rates in London and also has a history of racial tension with local young people resenting police behavior.